The Journey Within
by Nicole Mclaggen
Summary: James and Lily Potter died on the 31st of October in 1981. Come and join them ten years previously at the beginning of their seven year quests to find love, friendship, and themselves at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
1. Letters

**Disclaimer  
**Nothing belongs to me, I only pretend it does.

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**Prologue  
Letters**

It was that time of year again; letters were arriving in all magical households across the country. Young witches and wizards were receiving their Hogwarts letters. It was a hectic time for most magical families, as new and old students needed to buy supplies for school, but it was exciting nonetheless.

Most people were delighted to receive a letter, and this family was no different. One difference between this family and the others was that, they would not be leaving each other behind to go to school, Hogwarts was sure to bring them all closer.

Together, they caused mayhem within their house, they were uncontrollable, and they could not be stopped. It had been no secret to them from the beginning, they had known everything, but that did not stop the excitement that coursed through them when they got their letters. It was an even greater gift that they would both get to experience it together, for that was how they had been since birth, since the day their mother had left. They were insuperable and nothing could change that, not even the most magical school in the country.

There were also adolescents all around the country who knew nothing of magic, but were receiving letters nonetheless. For them this was a completely new experience, for they had no knowledge that this world had even existed, let alone the fact that they too were apart of it.

She had been one of the few who had known nothing; it had been a complete surprise. There had been no warning, when suddenly, early one morning, an owl had swooped into her house, and dropped a piece of rolled up parchment onto her lap; the parchment itself seemed to be acceptance into a school, a school for witchcraft and wizardry. Then there was a knock on her door, and her mother left the sitting room to go answer it, and who should appear but a rather strange looking bloke, with retro clothes on. He started explaining to her mother how there was a world that they had not known, in which there were witches, and wizards, and magic! He talked about a Statue of Secrecy, and how they were trying to stay hidden away from muggles. Perhaps it all _was_ real; perhaps she really would be attending a school in which she would learn magic, perhaps she would finally get to escape the past she only wished she could forget.

There were even magical families, who had not been expecting a letter, and it was not because they thought their children to be un-magical, it was because there was a problem, a problem that could not be fixed, and a problem that was dangerous to those who lived around it.

If the committee had known about the acceptance, and condition of this young boy, it would not have been tolerated, but since they did not know, there was nothing for them to tolerate. To most the boy would be considered a monster, a hideous, deformed, dangerous monster. For all he knew, it was a prank, a way to torture him further, for there were people out there who wished to cause him great emotional and physical pain. Then, there was that second letter, written in an elegant loopy scrawl, signed by the Headmaster himself. The letter explained all of the steps the school was taking in order to keep the students and him safe. Perhaps he would go, he could try to make friends, good marks, and maybe he could finally learn how to hope.

There were many families all over Britain who had no doubts about the letters that would be coming their way. They were all pure-blood families, all of their children were clearly magical, and they were all extremely talented individuals. So it really was no surprise to this particular family, when their current youngest member received her first letter.

She was obviously magical, along with her entire family. Perhaps that was why she so resented it, perhaps that was why she wanted to fight back, to rebel. She wanted to be different, she wanted to stand out, but in a family such as hers, such a task can be very difficult. It was not as if they did not love her, for anyone could tell they all loved her dearly, the problem was that there were just so many to love, and sharing that love amongst so any people can be difficult and painful. Perhaps that was why she was so excited to attend school, so that she could find people to love her and only her.

Some of these pure-blood families were not as big, some of these families were very small. With such small pure-blood, rich families, spoilt children were not uncommon. Children who thought themselves better then the majority, children that the majority also thought to be better then themselves.

Having already, at eleven, established the fact that he was immensely talented at magic, his letter came as no surprise. He had wanted it and whether it was because of his pure-blood, his status as a single child, his good looks, or his perseverance, he never failed to procure that of which he desired, never.

There were others who had a lot to live up to, a lot to accomplish. It was expected of them, what, with their older siblings having achieved so much, it was no question that they would as well.

She was one of those young girls who had a lot to live up to. For her, the problem would not be funds, nor would it be looks, the problem would be her two older sisters. They were complete opposites of each other, one relished being apart of the family, the other despised it. She was the youngest, and her opinion was greatly influenced by those two women, but she was in the middle. She always would be, she could not take sides, and the day she got that letter, they were all united, they all thought the same thing. That first year would be her one and only year to go to school with both of her sisters, and she wanted to impress them as much as was possible, no matter what it took.

Hogwarts was an escape for a lot of the students. It was a place where they could forget about the troubles they had at home, and just be themselves. Though, sometimes that was not always the best thing.

He had been anticipating this all summer, and it had finally arrived. Soon he would get to depart, leave the fighting, the arguments, the yelling, soon it would all be a thing of the past. He would only have to endure it during the summer holidays, but even then he would have the girl just down the street. For, whether she was a muggle born or not, she was extremely talented at magic, and also rather attractive, as girls go that is.

For some, going off to school left a great burden on their shoulders. Hogwarts was not cheap, and their families did not have a lot of resources to start off with. There was nothing they could do, their parents did not want to deprive them of the big things in life, but it still left them feeling guilty.

Her family was just pulling through. Her father, an aspiring writer, could barely make a living off of the writing he was doing for the Daily Prophet. Her mother worked as hard as she could so that, when the letters did finally start to arrive, they would be able to send their children off to school. She so admired her parents efforts, and hard work, just so she would be able to make a future for herself. She was going to repay them, she was going to make sure they were always looked after, for the love she felt for them was incomparable. She was going to make sure she made a difference.

For some, it did not matter to their families either way. They had no reason to be excited, or sad at the thought of a letter. It was just another event in their daily lives, and that was how they always thought of it.

It made no difference to his parents whether he went to Hogwarts or not, the boy had been no burden to his parents, nor had he been a great joy to have around. Average was one word that could completely describe this boy. From his looks all the way down to the way he walked. He was never extraordinary at anything, nor was he terribly dreadful. He was everything you would expect, but nothing that you would hope for. He had things for which he could complain, but on the average, his life was exceptionally normal, and that was why the letter was no shock to him, for that was where the majority of witches and wizards went to study magic, and there was no question in any ones mind as to whether he was a part of the majority.

For a lot, going to Hogwarts meant parting with their entire family, and it was a big deal. Tears were usually shed because of it, and sometimes families could be torn apart.

She had not believed that other boy, she did not want to get her hopes up only to have them crushed when the letter did not arrive, but it did come, and she was surprised. She would never have thought that something like this could happen to an ordinary girl like her. It was a completely different world she never knew about, it was a world which could only possibly exist in her wildest dreams. Nonetheless, he had not been lying, everything he had told her had been true, and now she would be going, she would get to learn all about the strange things she could do, and then she could come home and show her sister everything, perhaps she could even teach her some of the easier spells!

Hogwarts could really turn out to be the best thing that happened to some of the young witches and wizards. It was a way to prove themselves, and make their parents proud of their accomplishments.

He was only half a wizard. Nothing more, nothing less, his mother was a muggle, while his father was also a wizard and he was worried he would not be strong enough. He saw the magic his father could do, compared to the stuff he was capable of, and he was nervous that it was not enough. That was probably the reason that, the day he got his letter was one of the happiest ones in his life. He jumped for joy, and sang to the heavens, thanking God that he would be able to attend school. Now, his only worry was disappointing his father, hopefully he could be the son his father always dreamed of.

For the more rebellious children, school was an escape. It was a place for them to destroy the image everyone else had for them, instead of upholding it. It was a way to differentiate themselves from their families.

The day came, he was ecstatic, his mother was indifferent, to him it was an escape, to her, he was only holding up of the family image. In all honesty, he would have been more surprised had he _not_ received an acceptance letter, it would probably have caused huge problems for the school, what with his almost royal position in society; he had been guaranteed a letter since before he was born. Although, he was not complaining, for he wanted nothing more then to escape his prison, his name, his home, and the expectations that came along with it all. He wanted to be free.

It was a rare case, but there were times when the letters were dreaded. The children did not want them. They did not want to leave home, to be sent away from everything they knew. For them, it was almost like being sent to Azkaban, they just really did not want to go.

She was one of those rare cases; she did not want to go. Letters were a constant thing in her house, it was annoying, but it was a part of her parents' jobs, and she could not deny the fact that she enjoyed the nice things she could buy, but when her letter came, it was almost lost amongst all the others. She tried to act surprised, ecstatic, excited, just like her parents were for her, but she was not. She did not want to leave her home comforts, her little house-elves or her always clean room. She did not know how to make friends, or talk to people, and she was about to enter a school bursting with students her age and older. She was not excited, and she did not want to go, but she knew in the end she would have to.

When all of the magical children received their letters of acceptance, there were usually many different responses. Very rarely two children experienced the same reactions, even if they belonged to the same family. Hogwarts was a big step in each young witch or wizards like, and not everyone enjoyed the idea of going, but in the end, they all learned something from attending, and, though not all would say it, they all loved the experiences they had while at Hogwarts.

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**AN: Ok, so originally was not going to put this chapter up, but it was just sitting there in my files, and I sort of had to. It really was only a sort of character page for me, so I could 'get to know' everybody in my story. I edited it up a little bit and this is the result. Isn't the best, but I could not think of many different ways to re-write it so it will do I guess.**

**Anyways, yeah, sorry for the uber long break in between updates. I sort of explained things on my profile, but I doubt anyone reads that so my excuses are that I've been busy with homework, soccer, school, and my social life, so it's been a sort of hectic month. My life is starting to slow down a little bit, so I'm hoping that means more updates for you all, you never know, I'm hoping to get two other chapters up this month, and chapter 2 has already been started, so it may actually be possible, we shall see.**

**You know what will help? Reviews ;) (I love constructive criticisme)**

**Nicole Mclaggen**


	2. Introductions

**Disclaimer  
**I own nothing, everything in here is J.K. Rowlings, I am a meer wanna be

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**Chapter 1  
Introductions**

The train whistle rang rather obnoxiously, signaling to the passengers and their families that they would be departing shortly.

All around the platform young children were whispering goodbyes to their parents while looking excitedly at the train, while older students promised send daily letters home, while they rushed off to meet up with their friends. All in all, it was a rather noisy and crowded environment as students and parents remembered a few last minute things. While on the train, it was much worse. Older students pushed aside younger ones looking for their friends and empty compartments in which they could sit.

One boy, with dark, lank hair, that hung around his face and covered his almost black eyes, was sliding into a compartment which contained a couple of rowdy boys, and one girl with dark red hair, whose face was pressed against the window. Once he was seated across from her, she turned her head to look at him, red rimmed, emerald green eyes shining, before turning back to look out of the window again.

"I don't want to talk to you," she murmured to the boy in a pained voice.

The boy looked a little stricken, but managed almost immediately to hide his emotions as he asked her, "why not?"

"Tuney h-hates me because we saw that letter from Dumbledore."

"So what?"

Almost immediately after saying it the boy regretted his poor choice of words as the girl snapped her head around to glare at him with a look of pure contempt upon her slight features.

"So she's my sister!"

"She's only a-" the boy started before he seemed to reconsider his words. The little red-headed girl was to busy trying to hide her tears to notice anything.

"But we're going!" The boy said excitement evident in his tone. "This is it! We're off the Hogwarts!" He punched his fist in the air at the last word.

The little girl seemed to almost smile as she nodded and continued to try and dry her eyes.

Smiling slightly in spite of himself the boy continued talking, taking encouragement from her small smile, "you'd better be in Slytherin."

"Slytherin?" One of the other boys in the compartment turned and asked the boy.

This boy had black hair, just like the other two boys in the compartment, but his sat atop his head and seemed to stick up in every direction. He wore black, wire-rimmed spectacles over mischievous hazel eyes. Everything about this boy said that he had been well taken care of, and that his parents were not afraid to show their love.

"Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" the messy-haired boy asked the one other boy in the compartment, who was lounging in the seats across from him.

This third boy was what most girls would call cute. He had long, shaggy black hair, but unlike the first boy, his hair was well groomed and neat. He had stormy grey eyes, and everything about him said that he knew he was above average, and was not afraid to show it.

"My whole family have been in Slytherin." He said.

The messy haired boy looked at him in shock, "Blimey," he said "and I thought you were alright."

The third boy grinned.

"Maybe I'll break the tradition. Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?"

Lifting an invisible sward, the bespectacled little boy announced to the compartment, "_'Gryffindor where dwell the brave at heart!' _Like my dad!"

The first, rather greasy looking boy snorted slightly, while the messy haired boy turned to look at him.

"Got a problem with that?" He asked.

The first boy had a sneer on his face while he answered, "No, if you'd rather be brawny than brainy-"

"Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" interrupted the third boy.

While the messy haired boy roared with laughter, the slight red-head in the corner sat up, rather flushed, looking between the two boys in dislike.

"Come on Severeus, let's find another compartment." She growled at the greasy haired boy, glaring at the other two.

"Oooooo…'

The other two boys imitated her voice, while the messy haired one tried to trip the boy known as Severus as he passed.

"See yah, Snivellus!" One of the voices called before the compartment door was slammed shut.

Muttering profanities under her breath, the young red-headed girl led the rather awkward looking boy out of the compartment into another which held a group of older looking girls, gossiping in the corner. In a rather deathly mood, the girl did not ask permission to sit down first, and, almost sensing her anger the girls just sent her and her companion disgusted glares before continuing their conversation.

"I can not believe the _nerve_…" huffed the young girl.

The boy had kept silent the whole time, nervous of the wrath she may decide to unleash upon him if he were to say anything wrong. He was staring at her with wide eyes, and, once the girl had noticed his silence, turned to see his expression. As soon as their eyes met the girl burst out into fits of hysterical laughter. The boy jumped back slightly in surprise, but, listening to her snorts of laughter was too much, he could not hold it back any longer. Soon he too found himself nearly rolling about the floor with all of his laughing.

"Would the two of you be so kind, and _put_ a _sock_ in it?" snarled one of the other girls in the compartment.

Crying with the tears from their recent laughing fit, the two kids both covered their mouths trying to silence their giggles.

The rest of the train ride went on in this fashion; no more tension was in the air. It seemed as if the other boys had accidently made everything better.

Before long the train started to slow down as the breaks shrieked to a stop. Students began filing off, sticking as close as was physically possible to their friends, wanting to look around but too nervous to actually try.

"Firs' years! Firs' years or' here!" called a loud, booming voice.

Nervous at the prospect of being separated from the notably larger pack of students, the first years broke out of the crowd to find the source of the voice.

At first glance the young children were wondering where the voice was coming from, for the sound seemed to be emanating from the trunk of a small tree. After studying said tree further it was decided that the trunk was indeed the voice, and the trunk was not really a trunk at all, but rather the body of an extremely large man.

As the kids came to this realization they all seemed to shrink back slightly, for this "man" was a frightening creature to look at. With hands that could hold a full grown cat in their palm, and wild hair that hid the scraggly face of this giant. He wore a moleskin over-coat with many pockets that seemed to move, as if he was carrying live things in them. This man was immediately marked as 'scary' by the population of first years.

He looked around at the group assembled; "Alright now firs' years please follow me"

With that he turned and began marching away, the tiny first years in tow. For every mammoth step that man took, about three steps were needed from each of the young first years. Eventually a lake came into view with a huge castle just viewable behind the growing trees along the bank; on the shore were many little wooden boats.

"Everyone into a boat, on'y four to a boat now." he instructed.

Without any further information on how they were all suppose to row them across the lake, the students got into each boat with the friends they had made on the train ride.

In one boat were the two boys from the compartment before, they were accompanied by two kids with flaxen locks who looked very similar. As soon as all four passengers were situated safely in the seats the boat started with a jerk and began floating effortlessly towards the other shore.

There was very little talk coming from the fleet of boats full of gaping first years, all of whom were staring at the oncoming castle with complete awe etched on their faces.

Once they reached the opposite bank, all the first years stepped out of their boats in unison. The three boys and one girl began making their way towards the great oak front doors which seemed grander then the castle itself. As soon as they entered they were told to wait in the entrance hall for the deputy headmistress.

Minutes later a tall, thin woman walked in with pursed lips and her black hair tied up in a tight bun. She had green eyes which were hidden behind square spectacles, and had a rather stern look about them. Her voice seemed constricted and fierce.

"Welcome, future students of Hogwarts, I am Professor McGonagall the deputy headmistress, and your transfiguration Professor," she took a breath "in just a few moments you will be walking through those doors into the great hall to be sorted into your houses.

Now, while you are here at Hogwarts your house will be your home. You will return to the common room every night. You will take classes with other members of your house. All triumphs will earn you house points while rule-breaking will lose you points. At the end of the year, the house with the most house points wins the House Cup.

Now, if you will please form a single file line and follow me." She finished before turning and opening the oak doors.

In what was most obviously the Great Hall there were four long magnificent tables already full of students and covered in dishes. There was a long table in the front which appeared to seat the Professors. Candles were suspended in mid air by what could only be magic, but the candles and tables were nothing compared to the ceiling, or lack-there-of.

It seemed as if the whole of the great hall opened up unto the heavens, with the stars shining and the moon at its highest point. The view completely matched that of the sky outside.

Also, in front of the entrance hall there sat a stool, and upon the stool there rested an old dusty top hat, which, once all the first years entered, opened its ripped rim and began to sing.

_Though old and ratty I may seem,_

_You'll find no hat that is better than me._

_For though other hats are pretty and bold,_

_There is a knowledge in me none else can hold._

_So, come place me 'pone your head, hurt you not I swear,_

_For I can tell you secrets of, which colours you are best to wear._

_Perhaps red and gold is your true thing,_

_If so, Godrick Gryffindor is your king._

_For he values courage, loyalty, and might,_

_The ones with fairness always in their sights._

_Maybe Silver and green is what is really in your heart,_

_And Salazar Slytherin will help you find your part._

_For in his house only those with great cunning are found,_

_Trickery and ambition is forever their true sound._

_In some the colours blue and bronze are best,_

_Where Rowena Ravenclaw will put you through the test._

_Here are the ones, who love learning and wit,_

_Their intelligence and creativity is just a small bit._

_If not, black and yellow are to try,_

_Because Helga Hufflepuff was not one to lie._

_For only those true of heart and free of soul will find a place, _

_There hard work and fair-play is but a simple taste._

_Those are the houses four,_

_In Hogwarts they create the strength and the core._

_Together and united they are most strong_

_You must learn to trust me, for I am rarely wrong._

_To sort you now is my simple chore,_

_But try to stick together for there is an upcoming war._

Once the hat was once again silent, the whole hall broke out into a loud applause, though there were some whispers which were undoubtedly caused by the hats last few verses.

Once the cheering had died down, Professor McGonagall went to the front of the Great Hall, next to the stool and unrolled a long parchment while the whole hall went completely silent, in anticipation.

"Once I have read your name, please step forward and place the sorting hat on your head. Abbott, David"

And with that David Abbott, a tall lanky boy with dirty blond hair started the sorting by going to Ravenclaw, along with Morgan Abercrombie.

"Black, Naricissa" was announced.

Out of the crowd stepped a short girl, with delicate features and long, platinum blond hair, with piercing blue eyes. She walked with a confidence that she most likely obtained from her good looks. As soon as the hat was placed upon her head, it shouted

"SLYTHERIN!"

Hiding all her emotion she hopped off the stool and marched over too the clapping green and silver table, all of whom looked unsurprised, but happy by their newest addition. The girl sat in between two others, both of whom had dark hair, one was wild, but elegant in a way, while the other was well kept, and pinned back. The one with the wild hair had heavily lidded eyes, and thin lips. The other girl had soft features with big eyes. All three girls looked similar, and were all very pretty.

Next up was, "Black, Sirius"

The Slytherin table all sat upright, expectant looks upon their faces.

From amongst the crowd of first year students came one of the boys from the compartment on the train.

It was the boy – who seemed to go by Sirius Black – with the longer black hair that fell regally about his face. He walked up to the stool with an almost graceful swagger that no one else would ever be able to mimic. He did not seem to have a care in the world, nor did he seem nervous by all of the staring students. In fact, he almost looked as if he enjoyed all of the attention.

Once he sat on the stool and the hat was placed on his head the whole hall grew silent. Finally, after what appeared like hours too the on-looking students, the hat called, "GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindor tabled cheered loudly, seemingly exultant at the fact that they had taken something from the Slytherins', who all seemed a little put out, they had all felt so sure that they would be receiving another member.

A few other names were called while Hufflepuff and Slytherin received new first years.

Next up was the spicy red-headed girl from the train.

"Evans, Lily"

As soon as her name was called it looked as if she would faint right there, while her face turned a shade of green that could only be rivaled by her eyes. She shakily walked up to the stool while her friend looked on in quiet anticipation.

The hat was on her head for but a second before it yelled,

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Lily then handed the hat back to Professor McGonagall before hurriedly walking towards the cheering Gryffindor table. Sirius pushed up on the bench to make room for her, but, after taking one glance at him and recognizing who he was, she crossed her arms and marched off towards another area of the table.

Many more students were sorted; a Lupin, Knight and two twins were sorted into the house of Gryffindor while a Lestrage and Rosier were sent to Slytherin. Hufflepuff also got a Diggory and Bones, while Ravenclaw received Widdershin and Mullot.

Next up was one "Potter, James" who was the second boy from the compartment.

He walked up to the stool with a cocky type of confidence. Once he reached the stool he sat down, very sure of himself and waited for the hat to be placed on his head. He did not need to wait for very long because it seemed as if the hat shouted "GRYFFINDOR!" before it even touched his head.

Seemingly elated with himself, James marched over to the Gryffindor table and sat himself next to Sirius, sitting up tall and proud, as if he had just accomplished something, while one disgruntled Lily looked on with disgust.

There were a couple more students sorted before "Snape, Severus" was called.

At which point, one greasy haired boy, with an overly long nose seemed to slither up to the front of the crowd, with a different kind of grace then Sirius had, had earlier, but still a type of grace nonetheless. The sorting hat was placed on his head and it shouted "SLYTHERIN!" after mere moments, to no ones real surprise.

Having been sorted into his house of choice, Severus could not help but be elated, walking towards the Slytherin table under the loud clapping and cheering.

He sat himself down, next to a blond with a gleaming badge on his chest, who patted him on the back smiling.

The last couple students were sorted before, from out of no where, a tall man stood up from the center of what seemed to be the staff table.

This man was your stereotypical wizard. With long, sweeping purple robes, and a top hat to match, he had a flowing beard and hair of silver. Upon his long, crooked nose sat a par of half-moon spectacles that seemed to give sight to his bright blue eyes.

"Welcome one and all! I am your headmaster, Professor Dumbledore. I will not bore you now with announcements and rules and what not, I will save that for after the feast, but for now, dig in!"

Then, with two claps of his hands, all the gold plates in the middle of the tables filled with food. There was everything you could ever think of to eat and some things you would never dream even existed.

All the students piled heaps of food onto their plates and between all of the mouthfuls; there was not much time for talking.

Then, suddenly, from out of nowhere ghosts started coming through the walls into the great hall. There were hundreds of them, all a pearly translucent white. They started talking amongst the students, and some of them even went through people, only by accident of course.

All too soon, everyone in the hall was completely bloated after devouring second and third helpings of the food, and as much dessert as was possible

Once the plates were clean, Professor Dumbledore once again stood up, arms spread wide in welcome.

"Now that our stomachs have been satisfied, we are prepared to listen to the necessary back to school announcements.

First off, to all new students welcome. The forbidden forest is completely off limits, anyone found in the forest unsupervised will be punished. Also, there will be no wandering the corridors or grounds after dark, there are dangerous times coming, and we all must put forth extra efforts to be cautious.

On another note, all students who wish to try out for their house quidditch teams must submit their names to their Heads of Houses.

And lastly, Mr. Flitch would like all students to be reminded of the items banned from the school grounds. Anybody interested in this list only have to visit Mr. Filch in his office on their own time.

And Finally, I would like to introduce our new defense against the dark arts teacher Professor Hartsfield.

Once her name was mentioned, a shorter, younger looking girl stood up at the staff table. She had dark blond hair with blue eyes, and brown rectangular spectacles. She wore her hair up in a loose ponytail, and she had a look of innocence about her face. She appeared to be quite young, and could have easily passed for a student, with rounded cheeks and a wide smile; she waved tentatively around at the entire great hall.

After she sat down again and the clapping died down, Professor Dumbledore addressed the group of students.

"Now! Enough bothersome prattling from me off to bed, all of you! First years please follow your Prefects!"

With that, the hall suddenly sprang into action, as older students quickly left to avoid the "firsties" rush, while Prefects signaled to all first years to follow them.

Gradually the hall began to empty, and Lily Evans, one of the newly sorted Gryffindors lagged behind at the back of the group to quickly talk to her now Slytherin friend.

"…and we will probably have classes together, and then there is lunch, and weekends, and the holidays for sure!" she stammered mustering up as much enthusiasm as was possible.

The boy she was talking to – Severus Snape – just nodded his head solemnly.

Turning her head, Lily saw the group of Gryffindors walking away, and with a simple "see yah Sev" she turned and ran after them.

Catching up and slightly out of breath, Lily was beyond nervous, what was she suppose to do without her best friend? They were supposed to do everything together, and now they were separated for most of the day. It made her feel rather depressed.

"Hello there! My name is Mary, Mary MacDonald!" an over zealous little girl announced to Lily.

"Hi, I'm Lily Evans."

"What a pretty name, Lily. So how are you finding Hogwarts? I am so excited, I had no idea any of this existed before this summer, my parents are… What's it called? Muggers, mongers..?"

"Muggles?" Lily asked the confused girl while they continued to walk.

"Yeah, muggles, so I suppose your parents are a witch and wizard as well?"

"Actually no, my whole family are muggles as well. I had no idea about anything before I met this wizard boy who lives on my street." Mentioning Severus made Lily feel a little down.

"Oh, that's cool, it was really funny when we found out, because there was this loud knocking on the door and then…" with that, the slight little blond haired girl began telling Lily the story about when she found out she was a witch.

Lily was half paying attention and half looking around, letting her attention wander, admiring everything she saw and trying to memorize the route she took.

It really was a very interesting place, for the pictures talked to you as you walked past, and the staircases moved on their own. There were doors every where that led to who knows where, and the whole castle seemed to move about you.

Lily turned her head to nod at something Mary had just said and for the first time Lily really had a look at her appearance.

The girl was a little short and she had shoulder length, dirty-blond hair she was always swiping out of her face. She had fair skin, that seemed to somehow be lighter then Lily's light peach coloured skin. She had a small mouth with deep brown eyes that seemed to radiate happiness. Though there was a little something hiding in their depths. Lily could not figure out quite what it was, but she decided that she liked Mary.

While getting distracted in her thoughts Lily stopped listening to the Prefects, and therefore did not hear them warn her about the vanishing step, which caused her to step right into it, instead of over it.

"Arrgh" was the very attractive noise she made while flailing her limbs about, trying desperately to find something to keep her standing upright.

Feeling the fabric of somebody's robe, Lily clung to it for dear life, hoping that it would slow the momentum of her fall, and keep her on her feet, .Of course, she had no such luck.

Still falling, she ended up pulling down the innocent bystander with her. Which, in the end caused her more pain then it was worth.

"Oof" was the lone sound Lily made as the other person landed on her, knocking the wind completely out of her lungs.

Trying to catch her breath so she could apologize, Lily managed an "I'm… so… sorry…" while in tremendous pain from the weight on her.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" the voice, which sounded familiar, growled.

Suddenly, Lily grew very still, she recognized that voice, and she had already heard it today.

"Now, if you really don't mind, I will be getting off of you now." Everyone in the surrounding crowd sniggered.

"Please, what's the hold up?" Why have you all stopped?" was the sound of the Prefects voice at the top of the staircase.

Once the boy was on his feet, he began dusting his robes off and straightening his spectacles, while Mary ran over to help Lily unstuck her leg.

"Come on, it wasn't that bad. Now on three just pull your foot as hard as you can, 1… 2… 3…" Mary grunted the last part.

Heaving with all of her strength, Lily got her foot lose of the trick step, and only stumbled slightly, while managing to stay upright thanks to Mary's support.

Turning her head to look at the boy she injured, eyes locked, and green met with hazel.

"You!" they both accused simultaneously.

"What do you think you're doing? Pulling me down like that? I could have seriously injured something! Were you trying to bloody murder me?" James snarled rather harshly.

"It was only an accident! I really didn't mean too!" Lily cried, on the verge of tears, whether from the embarrassment of her fall, the pain from the boy who fell on top of her, or his unsympathetic attitude she was unsure.

"Watch what you're doing next time, or you won't get off so easy. Don't think I wont hex you just because you're a girl, I don't do gender discrimination."

Trying her best not to cry as most of the students in the surrounding crowd laughed freely at what the boy had to say, she said the first thing that popped into her head.

"You don't have to be such a… a PRAT!"

Everyone in the group gasped and looked at the boy to gawk at his reaction, but before he could say anything else the Prefect pushed his way into the group.

"Now really, classes start tomorrow, we're almost there and it's about time you lot all got to bed."  
He seemed completely oblivious to the tension of the first years and the crying girl rubbing her eyes.

"Now if you would all _please_ follow me." He growled irritably.

Realizing that the drama was over, everyone broke of to once again start walking with their friends.

The boy who had been knocked over gave one last glare at the girl through his spectacles before he continued towards the common room.

"The nerve of some people…" He ranted to the two boys walking with him.

"I hear yah James mate, I mean, look at you, you look a real mess!" grinned the stormy eyed boy with him.

"Oh shut it Sirius, you wouldn't be cracking jokes if it had been you who had been thrown to the ground!"

"Now, thrown to the ground seems like a bit of an exaggeration, besides, it was quite funny, what say you Peter?"

Both boys turned to look at the shorter boy with them. He was not anything special; in fact he was pretty ordinary in his appearance. With thin blond hair, and watery blue eyes he was neither skinny nor fat.

"Well, I don't know, "he squeaked seemingly nervous at being addressed by the two boys, "it was rather funny, though it did look painful." He finished, trying to appease both parties.

Content with his answer, the boys continued their conversation until they got to what seemed to be a portrait of a rather large lady in a pink dress.

"Password?" she asked the students surrounding her.

"Flabbergast" replied the Prefect confidently.

As soon as the word was said, the portrait swung open. Everyone stepped over the threshold into the common room slowly, looking around.

It was a rather comfortable looking room. It was round, with many armchairs that looked as if you would just sink into them if you sat on one. There was one couch, which sat in front of a crackling fireplace, and the room was decorated in scarlet and gold, with lions engraved in different places.

The Prefect pointed out the different staircases to the boys and girls dormitories.

"All of your luggage has already been brought to your rooms." Were his parting words before he turned and parted off to the boys' staircase, followed by the first year boys, there were six in total.

On the way up the stairs there was a door labeled "First Years" and here, the boys turned off and opened the door to their dormitories.

Inside there were six four poster beds, with deep red velvet curtains that were trimmed with gold. Everyone's trunks were already up and sitting next to a bed, while their robes were laid atop them, each now emblazoned with a crimson and gold Gryffindor crest.

"It's perfect!" exclaimed James as he jumped onto his bed, "I'm James Potter by the way."

Sirius sat on the edge of his bed, which was next to James' "I like the colours" he muttered darkly "Sirius Black" he said louder, addressing the whole room.

A third boy with caramel coloured hair that was really curly and eyes that matched in colour, smiled at the group of boys before laying down in his bed "Charlie Stebbins."

"I'm Peter… Peter Pettigrew" murmured the shorter boy, whose bed ended up on the other side of James'.

"Aiden Moore" muttered a boy while shaking shaggy blond hair out of his face, hair that was almost long enough to cover his deep blue eyes.

"Do you have a sister?" Sirius asked, a confused expression gracing his regal features.

"Err, yeah, a twin sister, she's in Gryffindor as well."

Sirius nodded once before turning his head towards the last member, a rather frail looking boy who lay in his bed fidgeting nervously with his thumbs. He had wispy, sandy coloured hair and deep brown eyes that held a rather far off look in them.

Looking questioningly around at the other boys, and then back at him, James asked "aye mate? You have a name?"

Seemingly snapped out of his thoughts, the boy shook his head before muttering "Remus Lupin" and then rolled over.

"Alright…" James muttered, a little taken aback

"Well, it seems as if we're all to be dorm mated for the next seven years, it should be jolly good fun!"

With that, all of the boys changed into their pajamas and quickly fell asleep in anticipation for the day tomorrow.

* * *

**AN: Ok, so that's my first chapter. Sorry about that, I tried to start this story before in a different way, but it didn't work because of a couple personal issus, anyways, heres the real first chapter! It took me a while to right, and I don't feel as if I checked it over enough, which is probably true, but thank you everyone for reading it anyways. Anyways, today is my thanksgiving, so I thought that I would get is up ASAP, and I wouldn't have been able to later today, and yesterday I went to a fair, it was SO MUCH FUN. Yeah, anyways... Also, sorry for any horrid use at british slang words, I'm a Canadien so I havn't the slightest idea on how to use them, any brits out there want to let me know a couple more common ones, and how to put them into context, I would be so appreciative!**

**So, what did you all think? Sorry it was so quick, I just wanted to get this one out of the way, a sort of introduction chapter, and oh my, the sorting hat song. That was one of the toughest parts of this chapter, sorry if it's not the greatest, I couldn't think of any other way to right it, and I didn't want to skip it so... Tell me what you think? What did you like? What could I improve on? Anything at all!**

**Nicole Mclaggen**

**PS I do plan on making this a story through all of their seven years, and I don't plan on rushing through the first couple either, I have a lot of different ideas scattered around on different pieces of paper in my bedroom, sooo...**


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